Glossary
Alinux distributions
On the original Linux base, corporations develop a unique usable Operating System(OS) which is refered to as a distribution/distro. Although all Linux distros are nothing but LINUX, you still treat them as different OSs.
HD videos
A relatively new resolution standard for video files. These videos are typically of much better quality and resolution when compared to normal DVD videos.
Java
An object-oriented programming language developed by Sun Microsystems. It is a popular choice by developers to create applications for multiple OSs.
TCP Port
When your PC accesses the internet, data is sent out and sent back through specific 'ports'. These basically help in segregating data for different applications, as one port can only be used by one application, at a time.
Firewall
It is a software-based protection utility, which controls which applications can access the Internet. In other words, it manages data flow to and from the PC.
Metadata
Metadata refers to any information that is used to identify the main file. It may exist as part of the file itself, or may be an external file.
Cross-platform
When an application is described as cross-platform, it means that the software is available for use on different operating systems.
DSPs
DSP stands for Digital Signal Processor. DSPs help in adding a variety of effects to any audio or video output, once the media file has been decoded, and is ready for output.
ffmpeg
It is a set of codecs which can process a very large variety of video and audio files.
codecs
Codec stands for compressor/decompress or, and sometimes, coder/decoder. What a codec does, is that is provides instructions on how to process the data in a media file to convert it into video and/or audio.
algorithms
Algorithm refers to the logical sequence a computer program follows during its execution.
AVI
It stands for Audio/Video Interleave. AVI is a video format, usually used either for storing uncompressed video and audio, or for acting as a 'container' format for storing other video and audio compressed data.
Bitrate
Technically, bitrate refers to the amount of data transmitted per unit time. In the case of audio and video compression formats, it greatly determines the quality of the output, as the bitrate determines how much data can be transmitted per second for recreating the original media.
transcode
Transcoding is the process of decoding a media file, and simultaneously encoding it into another media format.
firmware
On most electronic devices, the programs required to make the device operable are integrated into the memory of the device, or onto another chip in the device. These programs are referred to as firmware.
drive letter
Drive letter simply refers to the way you refer to your different hard drive partitions, like 'C drive' or C:
RAM
RAM is an acronym for Random Access Memory. It refers to the memory on your PC.
podcast
It is a way of broadcasting your own media files, assuming that they are pereodically updated. People can subscribe to your podcast channel and can receive updates when a new podcast is released. Some software which handle podcast subscriptions include iTunes, Amarok and GTKPod.
RSS Feed
It stands for Really Simple Syndication. It is used to report any new content added to a website. Readers can subscribe to blogs this way, and receive updates about new posts.
sampling rate
It refers to how many times the sound is recorded or 'sampled' in a second. For good quality recording a sampling rate of 44,100 Hz is required.
pixels
It stands for picture element, and refers to one square box of color on your screen. The resolution of your screen is also measured in pixels.
brushes
It is actually the same as brushes in real life. Different kinds of brushes are used for different kinds of strokes.
source code
When a programmer writes code in a programming language like C++ or Java, it is known as source code.
deprecated
Deprecated refers to the status of a particular thing, when it is superceded by another version of itself. Also, if a thing is no longer in active use, it can be said to be deprecated.
KDE
'Kool' Desktop Environment is what it is unofficially called. This kind of a desktop environment provides powerful interface with a decent amount of eye candy. Applicable for almost all Linux distributions. It us a competitor to GNOME.
GNOME
GNU Network Object Modelling Environment is a stable light wieght and fairly minimalistic but intuitive user interface scheme. It is a competitor to KDE.
XFCE
A highly light wieght, minimalist but usable interface especially designed for older or lower end systems.
W3c
Stands for World Wide Web Consortium. It is comittee comprising of members from all over the world. It is meant to set standards of implimenting and to some extent helps in law making to what kind of content should go up on the web.
ftp
FTP stands for file transfer protocol. It is a popular alternative to HTTP for downloading files from web servers.
zip archive
ZIP files are a way of compressing files. It uses algorithms to effectively compress large text files easily, and also works on images and other files.
Blogs
Expanded as weBLogs, these are normally used as online dairies where people or corporations share experiences and view points using a website designed to display content that way.
Perl
Its just another stupid language.